


A pure proposal

by 1Strategy_Renee1



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019), Welcome to Sanditon
Genre: F/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:01:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24735088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Strategy_Renee1/pseuds/1Strategy_Renee1
Summary: I wanted to have a bit of fun with the potential proposal in light of how in ep. 1 and 6 there is much talk of Charlotte's naivety. This is my first try at writing something after just learning of Sanditon fandoms last week. Totally new to this so I welcome any constructive feedback-not sure if I even rated this right! I'm just so amazed at all the great work out there!
Relationships: Charlotte Heywood/Sidney Parker
Comments: 9
Kudos: 90





	A pure proposal

Sidney knew he had planned it well, pausing before he opened the door of Trafalgar House. Mary and Tom had taken the children to the beach for the afternoon, sending the servants out at their leisure. He was sure Charlotte would be appreciative of the quiet so she could sort through the new contracts for the season. Thankfully, Tom and Mary had lured her back to Sanditon now that it was saved and Mary would soon add a set of twins to the family.

He found her in Tom’s study, standing at the desk sorting documents in her simple pink muslin gown, her chestnut waves tucked behind one ear. She hadn’t heard him enter and he enjoyed watching her unawares.

“Good afternoon, Miss Heywood,” he said formally.

Startled, she dropped the contracts to the desk. “Mr. Parker, they’ve all gone out for the afternoon,” she met his formality in tone then focused on picking up the scattered pages.

“I’m not here for them. I’m here for you,” he said quietly, as he joined her at the desk, taking the collected contracts from her hands and laying them back on the desk. 

Sidney looked down and clasped her hands tenderly, first holding them in his then lacing his fingers with hers. Meeting her deep brown eyes with his he pulled her close to him and whispered “Charlotte...Miss Heywood…” It was not intended as a whisper, but it was all he could manage as his senses were overwhelmed with her—touching her hands, smelling the sea on her hair, looking into her eyes, hearing her breath, longing to taste her lips…

He closed his eyes and breathed deep to center himself. He could barely imagine that he’d ever be here again — standing before the woman he loved asking her to be his.

He shifted his weight from one leg to the next, readying himself to ask the question that had been burning in him for nearly a year—perhaps longer. Perhaps even from the first moment he saw her on the cliffs that day with Mary when she failed to perform in the swooning manner he had come to expect from most young ladies he encountered.

As he opened his eyes, he saw what appeared to be tears welling up in her eyes. “Does she not want me to say it?” he thought. A tear trailed down her cheek and he released her hand so he could gently brush what he hoped were tears of joy aside. She had already waited so long—through Lady Denham’s change of heart and continued investment thanks to the coaxing of the new Lady Babington as well as the lengthy negotiations to dissolve his engagement to Mrs. Campion.

“Charlotte—Miss Heywood—Charlotte, I’m making a mess of this all,” he apologized, shaking his head then bringing her hands to his lips and kissing both. “I am a brute, on that we both agree,” he smiled to her, squeezing her hands.

“I rehearsed so much of this, but I am muddling it all,” he said, smiling. “You have made me such a better person, a better man. Charlotte, you know of my temper, my past, my failures, and yet I feel as though your high honor redeems me and cleanses my soul. Your honor and purity in all you do — in your mind, your thoughts....” Sidney halted his words as Charlotte’s face flushed red and she abruptly broke with his gaze. Pulling her hands from him, she retreated to the opposite side of the room, turning her face to the window. She quietly spoke then buried her face in her hands.

Confused, Sidney asked as he began to walk over to her... “ I could not hear you, what is it my dear? You are scaring me...”

Charlotte raised her hand to halt his approach. She sobbed, trying to get the words out... “you must not speak of marriage.”

Sidney stopped, stunned. “Charlotte, I thought...” he stammered. “We have been through so many trials...what have I done? Please...I know I have broken your heart and you are so much my better, but I thought…I came to understand that you and I, we…” he could barely say the words… “are we not in love?”

“It is my fault.” She could not look at him as she tearfully confessed, “I allowed you to hold assumptions of me that I lacked the courage to correct.” 

“Charlotte,” saying her name with a nervous laugh, “what could I have assumed that I did not see with my own eyes—your brave spirit, your honesty, your…”

“I am not pure,” she blurted with emotion, much louder than she intended.

Sidney stepped back, questioning what he heard—his stomach turning. His head ached and confusion was the first identifiable feeling. Thoughts rushed in, he had dreamt of enrapturing her so many times and now those images flashed quickly but instead she was being pleasured by another man. Who had she allowed—was it Mr. Stringer? Crowe wouldn’t dare! A boy in Willingden? 

Or was is so much worse...Sidney’s hands became fists as his mind recalled their experience in London—has someone violated her against her will—at that thought tears of both sadness and rage began to form.

Watching her small frame collapse in front of him, he knew all too well that rage would be of no use here. He immediately realized that no matter what had happened he needed to understand her now...fearing that their future of marriage may all be but over—hoping their friendship could remain.

Sidney breathed deep, straightened himself and walked to Charlotte, who now hid her face in the curtains, her eyes focused on the ocean she so loved, knowing her confession ended her relationship with not only her one love, but the place she so longed to call home.

He stood beside her—she would not turn her face to his. He took her hand and led her to the settee. Keeping hold of her hand, Sidney leaned in, “Charlotte, please share with me what has happened.”

She kept her eyes focused on the floor. Sidney could see the tears continue to fall. “I have not been pure in my thoughts,” she whispered, adding even more softly, “or my body.”

Sidney could begin to feel the rage again and exhaled deeply. He calmly repeated, “Charlotte, please share with me what has happened,” squeezing her hand.

“It started at the cove,” she began, trying to pull her hand from his, but he would not release it. He knew the impropriety, but needed to know and would not let her go until he understood—had she been attacked there? Met a lover there...who? When?

“After coming across you that day, seeing your body...it sparked such feelings and thoughts I could have never imagined,” she said, her eyes still focused on the floor. She again tried to remove her hand from his, but he would not give.

“I don’t understand — please Charlotte, tell me what has happened.” Sidney pleaded, trying to get her to look at him.

“Since that day, it seems that not an hour can go by without me thinking about it. About how you looked coming out of the ocean, so strong and confident, the waves lapping at you as you revealed more of yourself with each step,” Charlotte paused, beginning to turn her face to his but then again diverting her eyes. She stammered as if to continue, but then went silent.

“Charlotte,” Sidney whispered in anguish.

“My thoughts of you are not pure,” she looked at him directly, angry and scared to admit her shame to him.

“I’m confused Charlotte—your thoughts,” Sidney grasped her other hand in his, holding them both tightly.

“I can’t stop wondering what your hands would feel like on my skin, your lips on mine, your body pressing against me, every night I dream about your...” she stopped abruptly, biting her lower lip.

Sidney sat speechless, turning his head from her. “Did she believe this made her unpure? Was she really this beautifully naive?” He thought, a slight smile forming which he quickly controlled back to a stern face. “And your body? How is that not pure,” he asked, anticipating the answer with tamed excitement.

She again pulled her hands away from his and lay them on her thighs, rubbing gently as she tried to find the words. Her cheeks became even more flushed, as she began, “you do things to me in my dreams that leave me...that leave me, yearning.” Turning to him, “my body seems transformed by these dreams.”

Sidney again tried to hide his smile, and quiet his own yearnings to hear more... “in what way Charlotte?” he questioned flatly. “Be honest.”

She focused on her hands in her lap as she slowly tried to explain in what she believed to be the vaguest terms but to Sidney were not. “When I awaken in the early morning, parts of me are different—what was soft is hard, what was dry is wet.”

She stopped for a long while and Sidney pressed, “and?”

Charlotte breathed in deeply, “and I find myself trying to reenact my dreams when I wake but can’t seem to fully achieve it...no matter how many times I try...and I keep trying...my fingers…” her voice trailed as her hands pressed into her thighs. Sidney noticed that under her skirts she pressed her knees together and crossed and uncrossed her ankles.

“You must tell me exactly what you do,” he said, adjusting to sit even closer to her.

She looked up at him, speechless. “I don’t know how to describe it,” she finally managed to utter. She knew her words of shame must be hurting him deeply and she wasn’t sure how much more he could bear. 

“Take my hands and show me,” Sidney instructed, hardly believing he said those words. He would never risk her honor, but he had shared the same dreams for so long, knew those same desires and there was no doubt now, with this lovely, innocent confession he would make her his wife.

“I don’t,” she started to say, stopping, her eyes looking into his and wet with tears.

He would stop this game. Sidney had no intent to hurt her, only to tease a bit and help her understand there was nothing to feel shame for. He would never take anything she felt forced to give.

Sidney was about to speak, but then, shockingly, Charlotte softly took his hands...saying, “I will show you my favorite dream.” Charlotte stunned even herself with the words—it was as if who she was in her dreams suddenly took over her body. 

She brought his fingers to her lips, kissing each one. “10 kisses —each time, 10 kisses,” she smiled sweetly. Sidney noticed her eyes had turned from sad to playful, almost sexual in fact. He worked to contain his arousal.

She led his hands down her neck, first caressing her collar bone—each finger softly stroking her décolleté. She then grasped the back of his hands and led them down to the top of her gown—grazing the pink muslin. Charlotte pressed his hands against her full breasts, cupping each. The tips of his fingers caressing the exposed skin. Sidney was sitting thigh to thigh with her now, his breath hot as he brushed his fingers under the top of her gown, caressing the soft skin of her hard nipples. She let one of his hands push her dress from her shoulder and he grazed his fingers on her soft skin. 

She left his hands there to explore, returning hers to her thighs.

Sidney lifted his eyes and noticed hers were closed, her head tilted back and lips parted. He fought the urge to kiss her, he was working under her instructions. “What happens next, Charlotte?” He whispered to her. “Show me.”

Charlotte took his hands, kissing them again, then lay them in her lap. “I don’t know how to show you this,” she said, again crossing and uncrossing her ankles.

“Does it start here?” Sidney asked, taking his right hand down to her ankles...uncrossing them then slowly traveling his fingers up the inside of her calf, wrapping his hand behind her right knee.

Charlotte swallowed hard, a gasp of “yes” coming from her lips.

Sidney slowly brought his hand up her leg, resting at her inner thigh, caressing the soft skin for what seems like an eternity for them both. “Do we stop here?” Asking innocently, his face just two inches from hers now.

“No,” her breath heavy. “Go higher.”

“In your dream, do I kiss you?” He asked.

“Not yet,” she responded, bringing hers even closer to his lips.

He followed her command and inched his fingers up, caressing first her soft curls, then gently separating and stroking—slowly pulsing his strong and now wet fingers.

“Should my fingers go higher,” he smiled innocently.

“Yes, she whispered.” Her eyes still closed, her lips red from biting.

“And do I kiss you now?” He said longing to sample her swollen lips.

“Not yet,” she lightly growled.

He inserted one finger gently, continuing to caress her with his thumb. He worked his fingers together in a rhythm and pressure that increased as Charlotte made the most beautiful sounds. Quiet moans escaped her lips as she leaned back into the cushions, her hand clutching the tails of Sidney’s coat.

Her breathing became heavier as he increased the intensity — she was close.

Knowing she was at the edge he leaned closer to her, his lips next to hers. “Do I kiss you now darling?”

“Yes! Please,” she pleaded.

He passionately pressed his lips to hers, gently biting her lower lip, then plunging his tongue into her welcoming mouth while his fingers worked to achieve their most noble goal.

He felt her exhale into him, her body relaxed back fully into the cushions, her eyes opened slightly. Sidney kissed her cheeks lightly as he slowly removed his hand and adjusted her skirts.

“What comes next in your dream my darling?” he whispered.

Charlotte turned her face from his again. The reality of it all hit her. Embarrassed, she sat up straight. “I, I don’t know what came over me.” Tears again welled up in her eyes. “Marriage is out...

Sidney put his finger to her lips. “As long as all of your impure thoughts and actions are about me as mine are of you, marriage is next—that’s how my dream ends.”

He gently took her face in his hands. “Say you’ll marry me my beautiful and wonderfully impure Charlotte,” he smiled, looking deeply in her eyes. 

Charlotte, put her hands on his. Keeping her eyes locked with his, she turned and gently kissed his fingers. “Yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!


End file.
